Moore Letters

MOORE, LIVERMORE, YOUNG

Posted By: Liz Gay
Date: 10/19/2006 at 08:12:48

Moore letters

The following typed transcriptions of the original letters were submitted by Liz Gay.

McKendree Moore and Robert Moore are buried at the Inland Cemetery and Eliza may also be buried there. She died in Davis County, Iowa, where the records state that she was buried in Cedar County. Robert and Eliza's son George remained at the "home place" where he was a storekeeper, postmaster, Methodist minister, bank president and generally involved in just about everything.. he died in 1922 and is my husband's gguncle.
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Inland Iowa

August 12th, 1866

Dear Cousin Frank,

With the most Extatic felicity imaginable I seat myself to write you from this land of good times. First I must tell you that it has rained and it has poured until we are perfectly deluged. Such rains I never saw. Such winds I don’t think ever crossed the prairies. However the rains came the winds blew and beat upon my house but it fell not.

The Creek is over the bottom below the grove(?). So you see I can’t go to Inland today. My health for the last week was not been so good. I had a severe attack of cholera marbus which was severe. I was confined one week. I am now on the mend. Hope I’ll be all right in a few days.

The people are generally well. Mr. Wm Hill has got the MO fever pretty bad…he wants to sell and go next spring..he asks 40 dollars per acre..he has 1861/2 acres which would amount to $7420 if I make no mistake however I believe the whole thing could be had for $7000..it’s a good farm and under pretty good cultivation , now if you want a good farm pitch in..you know as much about the farm as I do. But I’d rather have it as any farm I know of excepting one or two near Inland which could not be bought for less than 45 or 50 per acre.

The church in Inland is now finished and I suppose accoroimg to the originals plan. The pulpit looks fine since it was painted. Pulpit, alter and ales are carpeted which adds a geart deal to the looks of things…we are having singing every Sabbath…we are still gaining our little folks..sing not sleep. The Sabbath School is prospering. We have good prayer and class meetings. Preaching two weeks by Rev Maning. So you see the people are determined to keep up if not a little a head in this part of the world..quite a number has passed over into the state of Matrimony this summer and I know of some more but it won’t do to tell. Marrying has become so fashionable that I expect you will hear tell of your old yoke(?) fellows making desperate resolves some of these times anyways don”t fret. I understand that quite a number are comimg west this fall.. good for them as George Willy says.. Davis you ought to come back and see your old galls, Miss

Hattie is still on the shore. Miss Rachel and Miss Margery and I suppose as much inclined to marry as if there had been marrying going on. I do not know whether I will get to W.Va. on a visit or not this fall..if I don’t go this fall I don’t know when I’ll go. I have herd nothing from H.S.D(Hamilton Duffield) for a long time. I wrote to him twice but as yet have herd nothing from him.

I must now close..hope this may find you well…remember me to all my friends if such I have and share some yourself…write soon, soon.

I remain yours most obediently

D. McKendree Moore
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Iowa November 24 69

To George and Ruth

Dear children..I set down to write to you again thinking you never rec’d my last letters written in August and Sept…I have waited a long time to hear from you..the last letter I got was in Sept written the 5th of August.. I have thought my letters was never sent..I may be mistaken I think… long to hear from you and o how glad I would be to see you and all my old neighbors..if you did not get the letters I wrote don’t think I have forgotten you.. there is not a day but my thoughts run back to old times..although sorrows cup I tasted ..thara many was the happy hours I spent in my dear native land and amomg kind friends and Christian neighbors..I often think of the blessed hours I have spent in old Hamline church while worshiping God among a people that knew what true religion was..I don’t infer that there is no Christian people out here ..there is many very good folks in this country..we have a very good preacher this year by the name of Moore..he is a Virginian from Augusta county …we are tolerable well at present..Davis is building a house for Washington..H(??) wife with Clark and your pap is husking corn in the snow..we havw had very cold weather all fall since the first of Sept..it has been cold all this time.. hardly anybody has thare corn all up..it is standing out just as it growd the snow half a leg deep…John Bridger fetched a report from Mo the Henry McNeil was murdered…him and his horse was found in the Grand River both shot dead..it is thought by some it is a mistake.. it might be some ottor man….his friends had not seen him for some time..did not know whare he was…the V?? are all well as far as I know..I do not see any of the Stony Creek folks often… Sam Young stayed with us all night as he come back from Kansas..he thinks that is the best place to go to..the Poca boys are all talking about going thare and get a claim 160…Alen Moore is going and Joe Addison(?) out all so they think.. perhaps it is all noise and now let me tell you that it is the very height of folly to sell and move to Kansas, Iowa, Mo or anywhere else when a man is fixed to live..let him stay whare he is if he wants to be a happy man…I know it..just think to live in a little 10 foot house and not another roof on the place nor no water and not a stick of timber any whare near to us..took enough..my paper is out..I want you to write soon..I have been afraid something was the matter..please write..tell me how all the people are…tell all ….your affectionate Mother Eliza Moore

In the margin of the back side of the letter as follows: Dear children..be faithful..live for ??? …you are in a hard place as well as us.. I do want my family all to meet in that land where adieus and farewells are never heard..

Also included: a small scrap of paper as follows:

Have you collected our jail money..get it if you can…your pap hardly able to work..do the best you can for us..you shall be well paid for your trouble..Has John Wanless got his securitys out of danger..has he paid the revenue yet…George are you in danger of having to pay your part..please write and let us know all..I feel very uneasy sometimes about it E Moore
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August 10 Inland Iowa (No year)

Dear children George and Ruth

I wrote and started a letter in June to you but never got any answer. I fear you did not get it. If you did I reckon you have so much to do you scarcely have time to write. I thought I might send you another. We aren’t so good. They are cutting oats today. The wheat is all cut and standing in shock except one rick. There is abundance of straw. The shocks stand over the ground very thick. The corn looks well considering it could not be worked enough.

Sept 24th Well today as usual it has been a long time since I began to write. Excuse my delay and be assured that I just think as much of you as if I wrote every day. How glad I would be to see you both. I read your letter Aug 5th and truly glad to read it and hear from you. They got done harvesting about 3 weeks ago. Wheat is not good this year. We have thrashed 100 and 50 and have 100 to thrash yet. Oats is very good and corn is very good. We have plenty of garden stuff and a good turnip patch, good potatoes, about half an acre of sugar cane, the biggest stuff most ready to work. They take to the mills here and it made up for the half either in shugar or molasses which ever you want.

Clark (Moses Clark Moore/son) and Susan(Livermore/wife) went to see her mother. They started Wednesday morning and will come back Monday. Susan’s mother has sold her place and is going west this fall. So you see that Susan might just as well have stayed in Va for all that her friends will be to her more than100 mile way and this is the first time she has gone to see them since we moved here to Ceder Co and none of them has come to see her yet. They are going west this fall I suppose before long. There sale is today. Well Ruth T suppose you would like to know what we have done this summer. Sally and Susan have done a little of everything and I help some. I have wove 200 and ½ yards of carpeting this summer. I get one dollar for every six yards. I weave but I think I will have to quit weaving. I feel most wore down and not very well most of the time but it is work or starve. Not the Davis(Franklin Davis Moore/ son) or Clark wants me to work for they are trying the best they can but the great mistake was in coming to this country at all. For I can’t see under the sun what anybody would come for after being here once and seeing how hard it is to live here. It surely is not as easy to make a living here as it is in Va (WV) but they all seem to like it or let on they do. Don’t allude to this in writing. It will raise the wind.

Ruth (Ruth Gay Moore) I thought when we first come out here that if George (George Preston Moore) and you was here I would be better satisfied but to see how hard they have to work here I am glad you did not come. I don’t think it would agree with George’s health to live here. Clark looks old. He has had a hard time this summer. No rest Saturday or Sunday as he is president of the Sunday school and has to be there every Sunday. It is 3 mile and a half to go. He is school director and secretary of the board. He has to write half the night sometimes. He is getting very tired of so many offices. He says he will not serve longer when his time is out. Davis did not like the country out west. He has been working on the place since he come back. He is going to buy some land here at 31 dollars per acre if he can get it. Alen Moore is working at Billy Hill’s since he come back. I feel sorry for Alen. He is a good natured boy. I expect he got into hard hands in his mill operation. He works very hard. I think he likes it here better than further west. Yet he is not so pleased with this part and no wonder for it is enough to make anyone feel bad just to think of the grand old mountains and timber and apples and look at these barren plains. Not a tree for miles. The creeks winding along on there muddy bottoms look lonesome.

Sam Young was here but twice. He is gone to Kansas. Now Alen Moore got a letter from George. Sam got one. Sam looks well. Colbert Blair has come here from the Rocky Mountains. He is going home some time before long. McKendra Moore if going to Va soon to see his friends. The friends are all well as far as I know. I can’t think of anything more. Just now excuse my poor hand writing. My eyesight has failed so this summer. It seems a burden to me to write so much. Ruth write when you can. Forgive my not answering sooner. I’ve been busy. Tell Aunt Jane Duffield I will write to her before long as I can’t get your pap to write any but I think he could. He has failed a good deal since we come out here. He looks old enough to be 70 years.

George can’t you write me. Ruth write soon. Pray for me and live for more better world.. .

Your friend and mother,

E. Moore
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Sept 28 Susan and Clark got home safe. Her mother starts today for the west..200 mile away. I wanted your pap to write some but he has been helping Morgan to thrash 3 days. We have a busy time. They have about 1200 bushel of grain. You know it took work. Well you must look over his not writing. He wishes you to see to his money matter as well as you can. Let him know how much you have got whether or not. I want to see you both very much. Please write when you ca. Tell us the news. To George I close. Goodbye E.Moore